Method of handling lint



Nov. 21, 1961 D. s. PRESTON METHOD oF HANDLING LINT Filed sept. 25. 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENT OR. .0,41//0 OPESZ'OA/ rrys Nov. 21, 1961 Y n. s. PRESTON 3,009,838

METHOD 0F HANDLING LINT Filed Sept. 25, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 041//0 s, p'sfon/ NOV'. 21, 1961 D s PRESTON 3,009,838

METHOD OF HANDLING LINT Filed Sept. 25, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ,5 75 ll l l. h u u li h M1 1s L W l II h I nl H n Il M h l Affy C? INVENTOR.

3,609,838 METHGD OF HANDLENG LlN'l David S. Preston, Lakewood, (Ehio, assigner to The American MonoRail Qompany, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation ot @his Filed Sept. 25, 1959, Ser. No. 842,402 7 Claims. (Cl. 134-21) This invention relates to the art of cleaning textile machines and is particularly concerned with a new method of dislodging lint from the textile machines, picking it up and periodically transporting the collected lint to a storage chamber.

Various methods have been devised heretofore for cleaning textile machines. A method which has long been used consisted of blowing air at considerable velocity against accumulations of lint on textile machines to dislodge such lint. No elort was made to collect the thus dislodged lint and as a result the lint frequently collected several times on the machines before eventually iinding its Way to the floor whence it was removed, usually by a sweeper, and in a dirty condition which prevented use thereof and made the lint a waste product.

More recently, methods have been proposed for collecting the lint promptly after being dislodged from the machines and before it became unusuable because of contamination of dirt. According to these methods, the lint on the floor was picked up by vacuum-induced streams of air soon after lodging on the iloor and before it became soiled. Periodically, the lint so picked up was discharged into a storage chamber.

The present invention aims to solve the problem of dislodging and collecting lint and transferring it to a place for storage in a new and improved manner and attains this aim by simultaneously creating a high pressure stream of `air moving in one direction to dislodge accumulations of lint from tex-tile machines and a vacuum-induced lower pressure stream of air moving in the opposite direction to pick up lint from the oor of the textile machine room and to carry it into a chamber where the lint may be separated from the air stream, periodically interrupting the flow of the vacuum-induced stream of air and, while it is so interrupted, diverting the high pressure stream of air into the low pressure passage and dislodging the lint from the screen and discharge it in reverse direction through the pick-up conduit and transporting the thus discharged lint to a storage chamber by a vacuum-induced steam of air.

The high and low pressure streams of air may be simultaneously created by means of a centrifugal fan, the high pressure air being discharged from the chamber in which the fan rotates, and the lower pressure air stream being caused to move into the vacuum chamber and thence into the intake of the centrifugal fan by reason of the vacuum created by the latter. 'Ihe vacuum should be sutliciently high to cause the air stream to ow from near the floor of the room to a position near the vacuum chamber and to pick up and carry lint along with it until intercepted by a screen in the passage in which the lint carrying stream of air is flowing. When the lint which has collected on the screen is to be discharged, doors are actuated to close the communication between the inlet passage and the vacuum chamber and simultaneously to open another door which serves to divert the high pressure streams of air into the inlet passages and transport the lint therein to a place of disposal beneath the end of the inlet passage. Such place of disposal may be a suitable storage box or the like as desired.

Apparatus in which the present process may be practiced is described hereafter and is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view of apparatus em- 3,@509358 Patented Nov. 21 1961 r? is bodying the present invention in its operative position relative to a spinning machine which is shown in phantom;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG- URE l with certain hidden parts indicated by dotted lines and with arrows indicating the direction of flow of air streams therein;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIGURE 1 showing parts of the high pressure and low pressure conduits;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view with parts broken laway and showing the interior construction of the casing of the apparatus of FIGURES l to 3;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the two doors mounted within the casing of the apparatus of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the means by which the doors of FIGURE 5 are actuated;

. FIGURE 7 is a schematic plan view layout of a plurality of textile machines and the suction storage box, and

FIGURES 8 and 9 are, respectively, side elevational central vertical cross sectional views of the suction storage box and associated parts.

In FIGURE l, the end of a spinning frame is shown in phantom at 1. It includes a plurality of track supports 2, Creel boards 3 and roving packages 4. A track which extends in a loop over a plurality of aligned machines 1 consists of a middle rail 6 and side rails 7 fixed to arms 8.on supports 2. A traveling unit is mounted to run on the traclcway and compmises two trucks 10, each of Iwhich is provided with depending brackets 11 in which is 'rotatably mounted a support wheel 1'.n to run on the top of rail6. The ends of the trucks extend downwardly and carry rollers 13 which bear against the underside of rails 7 to prevent tilting of the traveling unit.

Trucks 10 are pivotally connected by a plate 15 and a motor (not shown) is attached to the underside of plate 15 between trucks 10. The rotor shaft of this motor extends up into a housing Z0 which is supported on plate 15 and is equipped with a centrifugal fan (not shown) positioned within the casing.

The traveling unit, just described, may be substantially like that disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,851,716, issued September 16, 1958.

The casing 20 extends transversely of the row of machines 1 and its interior is divided into a plurality of chambers and passages by means of walls. The bottom wall 21 of the casing is substantially continuous, as is also the top wall 22 except for an access opening 23 above the fan, which opening is totally or partially closed by a cover when the apparatus is in use.

Vertical Walls 24, jointed to bottom and top Walls 21 and 2,2, extend inwardly from the ends of the casing and form parallel outlet and inlet passages 25? and 2,6. Screens 27 extend Vacross the inlet passages 26. At their outer ends, outlet passages 25 communicate with downwardly extending liexible tubes or boots 28 and 2,9 having openings (not shown) in the sides facing machines 1 for egress of )air owing under pressure or considerable velocity toward the machines to dislodge lint therefrom.A Flaps 30 on boots 2S prevent'parts of the machine form catching in the egress holes in boots 28 and damaging them.

Inlet passages 26 communicate at their outer ends with depending flexible tubes or boots `31 having open ends close tothe floor. Vertical walls 35 extend across the inner ends of inlet passages 26 from the adjacent side wall 3 chamber 39 which is defined by the bottom and side walls 21 and 36 of the casing, and a horizontal wall 40 which extends between side walls 36 and walls 35. Wall 40 has a central opening 41. Vertical volute walls 42 within the fan chamber 39 serve to direct air under high pressure and velocity into the entry ends of outlet passages 25.

Each wall 40 is extended lengthwise in passages 25 and intersects with vertical walls 45 which join walls 36, 40, 22 and 24 thereby defining a closed chamber in which most of the door actuating mechanism is located.

The space between side walls 36, top Wall 22 and horizontal wall 40 is the vacuum chamber. It communicates through opening 41 with the fan chamber 39 and with the inner ends of inlet passages 26 through the door controlled openings in walls 35.

Vertical walls 24 are provided with doors 55 between each screen 27 and the adjacent Wall 35. Each door 55 is mounted on a vertical shaft 56 which is rotatably carried in suitable bearings supported by brackets 56' from partition wall 24. Each shaft 56 extends down through bottom wall 21 of housing 20 and at its lower end is provided with a crank arm 57 which carries a cam roller 58. Shaft 56 extends up through a horizontal wall 40, and at its upper end is provided with a crank arm 59 which is pivotally connected to a -turn buckle type rod end unit 60. Door 61 is mounted on a rotatable shaft 65 which is supported in bearings 66 in the adjacent outer side wall 36 of the casing and in vertical wall 24 above horizontal wall 40 and at its inner end carries a crank arm 67 which is pivotally connected to the other end of rod end unit 60.

Means for actuating doors 55 and 61 is indicated in FIGURE l and is shown in more detail in FIGURE 5. That means includes a pair of cam rails 70 which are substantially parallel, are supported by transverse arms 71 attached to the rail-supporting structure, parts of which are brackets 72. Cam rails 70 are so positioned that they will be engaged by cam rollers 58 when the traveling unit moves into position over the cam rails, and such engagement of rails 70 and rollers 58 will rotate shafts 56 and 65 with resultant opening of door 55 and closing of door 61. Spring means (not shown) of any suitable shape and form may be used to return the doors, shafts and cam rollers to their position in which door 55 will be closed and door 61 will be open.

Means is provided below the location of the cam rails 70 for transferring to a storage chamber lint discharged from the lower ends of tubes 31. The location of this means is better shown in FIGURE 7 and the means is shown in some detail in FIGURES 8 and 9.

In FIGURE 7, several textile machines 1 are shown in aligned, parallel rows with rail `6 running lengthwise of each row in an endless loop. A single suction box 75 is shown in one of these rows of textile machine but it will be understood that more than one such box may be used as required or desired. The suction box 75 is provided with a partition 76 which forms chambers 77 and 78 therein and which has a central opening. A fan 79 and its drive motor 80 are supported from the partition 76 by an annular, conically shaped bracket 81 with the shaft 82 of the motor extending through a central hole in partition 76 and with motor 80 being in chamber 77 and the fan in chamber 78. A screen 83, generally frusto-concal in shape, is secured at its large end to partition 76 and encloses the motor 78 and bracket 81.

Chambers 77 and 78 serve, respectively, as intake and exhaust chambers. Chamber 78 has air outlet holes to permit air to escape therefrom while fan 79 serves 'to create a vacuum-induced ow of air into chamber '77. Inlet tubes 88 extend from chamber 77 toward the ioor and terminate in horizontally long, vertically short intake nozzles 90.

The operation of the above-described apparatus is substantially as follows:

When the unit is being propelled along the track of row of aligned textile machines 1 and the fan in fan chamber 39 is being rotated, streams of air under relatively high pressure will be discharged from the fan chamber into passages 25 and thence down through tubes 28 and 29 and toward machines 1 with resultant dislodgment of lint from the machines. Simultaneously, streams of air carrying lint picked up from the floor adjacent to the machines 1 will flow under the iniluence of vacuum created in the vacuum chamber by rotation of the fan up through tubes 31 through screens 27 and in passages 26 to the vacuum chamber 39 whence the air will flow into the inlet side of the centrifugal fan. Since the traveling unit has considerable lint carrying capacity it is lgenerally not necessary to provide more than one set of cam bars 7G on each loop of track to remove the collected lint from the screens. When shafts 56 are rotated with resultant movement of doors 55 into open position and movement of doors `61 into closed position, the application of vacuum to passages 26 will be interrupted and air under pressure `from the fan chamber will be discharged into the inlet or low pressure passages 26 and will ow through screens 27, will remove lint therefrom and will carry the lint which has accumulated on the inlet screen 27 down through tubes 28 and 29 and discharge it adjacent to the machines. When the unit has moved the cam rollers 5S out of contact with cam bar 70, suitable springs will restore each door 5S to its closed position and each door 61 to its open position and will ready rollers 58 for engaggement with the cam bars 70 when the traveling unit -again approaches those bars. Thereupon, suction will be applied to passages 26 and the foregoing operation will begin the next cycle.

'Ilie motor 80 constantly rotates fan 79 and constantly causes a stream of air to flow through nozzles 90 and tubes S8 into chamber 77, Ithen through screen -80 and into chamber 78 and finally out of that chamber through openings 85. Since nozzles 90 have their open ends closely adjacent to the lower ends or suction tubes 31, the nozzles are in position to apply the suction force to lint discharged downwardly through tubes 31 when the doors 55 are opened and the doors 61 are closed and the high pressure air passes downwardly in tubes 31. Since the high pressure air owing out of tubes 31 is directed toward nozzles 90, some of that air will enter nozzles 90 and will carry lint with it. The vacuum induced ilow of air into nozzles 90 will cooperate with the high pressure air in transporting lint from the bottom ends of tubes 31 into nozzles 90 and thence into the storage chamber 77. By reason of the extended horizontal dimension of the nozzles 90 and the conjoint action of the high and low pressure air streams, the lint discharged lfrom tubes 31 will enter nozzles 90 while the tubes are moving past them.

The screen 83 in suction box 75 intercepts the lint and retains it While the a-ir passes through the partition and escapes yfrom the box. At intervals, the doors 91 on either end of box 75 may be opened and the lint removed from chamber 77.

Apparatus in which the present method may be carried out is being claimed in applicants co-pending application Serial No. 842,420, filed September 25, 1959, and allowed on February 8, 1961.

Having thus described this invention in such Jrull, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, and having set forth the best mode contemplated of carrying out this invention, I state that the subject matter which I regard as being my invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in what is claimed, it -being understood that equivalents or modifications of, or substitutions for, parts of the above speciiically described embodiment off the invention may be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention as set forth in what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of handling lint which comprises the steps of moving lengthwise of, and above, a row of textile machines a. casing having a lint collecting chamber and rst and second conduits extending downwardly beside said machines, simultaneously creating a stream of high pressure air flowing downwardly in said rst conduit and a low pressure stream of air ilowing upwardly and into said chamber through said second co-nduit, collecting in said chamber lint carried up thereinto through said second conduit by said low pressure stream and periodically directing said high pressure stream of air out through said chamber `and down through said second conduit to discharge the collected lint from the chamber.

2. The method of handling lint which comprises the steps of moving lengthwise of, and above, a row of textile machines a casing having a t-lint collecting chamber and iirst and second conduits extending downwardly beside said machines, simultaneously creating a stream of high pressure flowing downwardly in said rst conduit and a low pressure stream of yair flowing upwardly and into said chamber through said second conduit, collecting in said chamber lint carried up thereinto `through said second conduit by said low pressure stream, periodically directing said high pressure stream of air out through said chamber and down through said second conduit to discharge the collected lint from the chamber, and creating a ow of low pressure air into a iixed storage chamber through -a nozzle near the lower end of said second conduit.

3. The combination of steps set forth in cla-im 1 in which the high pressure stream of air is automatically and periodically directed out through said collecting chamber and down through said second conduit to remove the collected lint from the chamber and .to discharge it through the lower end of said secondconduit.

4. rI`he combination of steps set for-th in claim 1 in which Ithe low pressure stream of air enters the ilower end of said second conduit adjacent to the oor on which the machines `rest and in which a -low pressure stream of air is caused to ilow in-to a xed storage chamber through a nozzle ladjacent to the lower end of said seco-nd conduit.

5. The method of handling lint which comprises the steps of moving lengthwise oi, and above, a row of textile machines a casing having lint collecting chambers and -first `and second conduits extending downwardly on opposite sides of said machines, simultaneously creating streams of high pressure air flowing downwardly in each of the iirst of said conduits and low pressure streams of owing upwardly and into said chambers through each of the second said conduits, collecting in said chambers lint carried up thereinto through said second conduits, and periodically directing said high pressure streams of air out .through said chambers and down through said second conduits to discharge the collected lint =from the chambers.

`6. The combination of steps set forth in claim 5 in which streams of llow pressure air are caused to ow through nozzles near the lower ends ot said second conduits and into a xed storage chamber between the ends of two adjacent machines.

7. The combination of steps set forth in claim 6 in which the high pressure streams oi air flowing downwardly in said second conduits discharge the iint carried thereby near the floor on which Ithe machines stand, land in which streams of low pressure -air are caused to carry lint discharged from said second conduits th-rough nozzles adjacent to the oor on opposite sides of the machines and into a iixed storage chamber between the ends of adjacent machines.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,538,292 Lindsay May 19, 1925 1,633,561 Drew June 21, 1927 1,892,751 Smith Ian. 3, 1933 2,623,234 Brown Dec. 30, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT 'FFTCE CE TTHCATE @E CiioN Patent No.3 3009V838 l November 2lq 1961 David Sfe Preston It is hereby certified that error appears in the abovek numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below,

- Column g line 2OV for the Claim reference numeral "i" read Signed and sealed) this 17th day of April l962 (SEAL) Attest:

ESTON Gg,i JoHNsoN DAVID L. LDD

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. THE METHOD OF HANDLING LINT WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF MOVING LENGTHWISE OF, AND ABOVE, A ROW OF TEXTILE MACHINES A CASING HAVING A LINT COLLECTING CHAMBER AND FIRST AND SECOND CONDUITS EXTENDING DOWNWARD BESIDE SAID MACHINES, SIMULTANEOUSLY CREATING A STREAM OF HIGH PRESSURE AIR FLOWING DOWNWARDLY IN SAID FIRST CONDUIE AND A LOW PRESSURE STREAM OF AIR FLOWING UPWARDLY AND INTO SAID CHAMBER THROUGH SAID SECOND CONDUIT, COLLECTING IN SAID CHAMBER LINT CARRIED UP THEREINTO THROUGH SAID SECOND CONDUIT BY SAID LOW PRESSURE STREAM AND PERIODICALLY DIRECTING SAID HIGH PRESSURE STREAM OF AIR OUT THROUGH SAID CHAMBER AND DOWN THROUGH SAID SECOND CONDUIT TO DISCHARGE THE COLLECTED LINT FROM THE CHAMBER. 